Expectations for Booking a Fly Fishing Trip

Everyone has high expectations about a fishing trip. Visions of big fish and lots of them are the stuff that dreams are made of—it’s one of the reasons we fish. Here at Schmidt Outfitters, we are no different. We all travel and fish. Each one of us here has been on lots of trips to great places. It’s exciting to plan and dream of that perfect fishing vacation.

In today’s business world of fishing, sometimes destination fishing lodges and outfitters lure you in with unrealistic promises and expectations. In an effort to keep things in perspective, many factors should be considered about numbers of fish per angler per day. Weather is one of the biggest factors in catching or not catching fish. Cold fronts, low pressure, and high pressures cells are examples that may affect the fish bite.

You should spend at least three days in a row at any fishing destination to get a window of opportunity of a few hours of “fish bite.” Most places book a minimum of a week for this sole purpose. Being guided by local professional guides will always increase your chances of catching the fish you are after. You will also learn about the river you are on and some of the history of the region.

If you are fishing steelhead or salmon in our region, you should consider any day that you bring one fish to your hand a successful outing. We have those banner days, but you should not expect ten fish a day per angler. We generally do not dwell on things like hook-ups per angler; again, this is too vague and leads to false expectations. If you are using the swung fly technique, your expectations of numbers should be even less.

If you are trout fishing in our region, a couple of fish per day is about average. Fly fishing for trout is very dependent on angler ability (the right cast, fly, presentation, etc.) The rivers of our region are generally made up of wild populations of trout, steelhead, and salmon. Our fish populations vary from year to year based on Mother Nature, not the hatchery truck, so you should take this into consideration when visiting us.

Our philosophy: We do the very best we can to put you in situations and positions to achieve your goals of catching fish and learning about the sport of fly fishing. We work hard at the things we can control including respectful service, good quality streamside meals, clean and comfortable watercraft, the best gear we can obtain, and knowledge of the rivers and fish of our region. You can expect clean, comfortable lodging from us, as well as a full range of fine fly tackle from our fly shop.

If you have any questions, you can contact Ray Schmidt at 231.848.4191 or email at .